Abstract: A temperature sensor includes temperature detecting means and at least one of a catalyst and an adsorbent applied to the surface of the temperature detecting means. At least one of the catalyst and the adsorbent catalyzes an exothermic reaction of a reactant in gas on the temperature detecting means. A temperature that is increased by the exothermic reaction is detected by the temperature detecting means. The catalytic efficiency for the exothermic reaction of at least one of the catalyst and the adsorbent is reduced by sulfur poisoning. The temperature sensor is disposed upstream of an exhaust purification system. Accordingly, it is determined that the temperature sensor is subjected to sulfur poisoning if the temperature detected by the temperature sensor is below a prescribed temperature.

Abstract: In an internal combustion engine, a sulfur detection sample gas is generated in a sample gas generation chamber by fuel of an amount smaller than the amount of fuel fed to a combustion chamber and proportional to the amount of fuel fed to the combustion chamber. An SOx sensor having a sensor part trapping the sulfur contained in the sample gas and capable of detecting the amount of sulfur trapped in the sensor part from the property changes of the sensor part is provided. The amount of SOx that flows into the catalyst is estimated from the output value-of this SOx sensor.

Abstract: In an exhaust purification system of an internal combustion engine, comprising a NOX catalyst device, which can satisfactorily store NOX in the exhaust gas when the concentration of oxygen in the exhaust gas is high and can release the stored NOX and purify the released NOX to N2 by reducing materials in the exhaust gas when the concentration of oxygen is decreased as a regeneration treatment, the regeneration treatment is carried out to change a combustion air-fuel ratio from a lean air-fuel ratio to a set rich air-fuel ratio, and N2O reducing material is supplied to the NOX catalyst device during at least one of a first period set within a period in which an air-fuel ratio in the exhaust gas within said NOX catalyst device changes from the lean air-fuel ratio to the set rich air-fuel ratio when the regeneration treatment is started and a second period set within a period after an air-fuel ratio in the exhaust gas within the NOX catalyst device becomes the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio when the regeneration

Abstract: An exhaust purification system of an internal combustion engine arranging in an engine exhaust passage an NOx storing reducing catalyst storing NOx contained in exhaust gas when an air-fuel ratio of inflowing exhaust gas is lean and reducing and purifying stored NOx when the air-fuel ratio of the inflowing exhaust gas becomes a stoichiometric air-fuel ratio or rich, which system is provided with an NOx production reducing means for reducing an amount of production of NOx produced in a combustion chamber due to change of a combustion state of the engine and temporarily reduces the amount of production of NOx by the NOx production reducing means when an amount of N2O flowing out from the NOx storing reducing catalyst is anticipated to exceed an allowable amount.

Abstract: In an exhaust purification system of an internal combustion engine comprising an exhaust purification device which receives a bad influence from SOX in the exhaust gas and a S trap device arranged upstream of the exhaust purification device, which can store SOX in the exhaust gas, an amount of SOX passing through the S trap device is integrated as an integrated value, each allowance value of the integrated value for each elapsed period from the start time of the use of the S trap device is set, and when the current integrated value exceeds the corresponding allowance value and between a first set period ago and the current time, fuel has been supplied into the fuel tank and engine oil has not been exchanged, it is determined that fuel with a high concentration of sulfur has been supplied into the fuel tank.

Abstract: In an exhaust gas purification apparatus of an internal combustion engine, there is provided a technique capable of suppressing a reduction in exhaust gas purification performance. The apparatus includes: an exhaust gas purification catalyst (6) that is arranged in an exhaust passage of the internal combustion engine for purifying an exhaust gas; an adsorption device (5) that is arranged at an upstream side of the exhaust gas purification catalyst, rises in temperature up to an upper limit temperature due to heat generated by adsorption thereto of an incoming first component, and falls in temperature after its temperature has reached said upper limit temperature; and a heat generating component supply unit (10) that supplies a second component which generates reaction heat in the exhaust gas purification catalyst, before the temperature of the adsorption device begins to fall.

Abstract: In an internal combustion engine, an SOX trap catalyst (13) which traps SOX contained in the exhaust gas is arranged upstream of an NOX storing catalyst (15) in an engine exhaust passage. When the NOX storing catalyst (15) should release NOX, auxiliary fuel is injected into a combustion chamber (2) at a combustible timing after the completion of injection of fuel into the combustion chamber (2) for generating the engine output. At this time, the auxiliary fuel is injected so that the air-fuel ratio A/F of the combustion gas in the combustion chamber (2) does not become below a minimum allowable air-fuel ratio M where SOX trapped at the SOX trap catalyst (13) will not be released.

Abstract: An exhaust purification system of an internal combustion engine comprising an NOX holding material arranged in an engine exhaust passage, having a catalyst metal containing silver, holding NOX contained in the exhaust gas in the form of silver nitrate by the catalyst metal when an air-fuel ratio of inflowing exhaust gas is lean, and releasing the held NOX if the air-fuel ratio of the inflowing exhaust gas becomes a stoichiometric air-fuel ratio or rich. The NOX holding material has a scatter temperature at which catalyst metal scatters in the form of silver nitrate if the temperature rises. When it is time to perform control raising the temperature of the NO holding material to the scatter temperature or above, the NOX held in the NOX holding material is released by making the air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas flowing into the NO holding material the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio or rich.

Abstract: In the present exhaust purification system of an internal combustion engine, a particulate filter is arranged downstream of an NOx storage/reduction catalyst device and an S trap device is arranged upstream of the NOx storage/reduction catalyst device. A first fuel supplying means for supplying additional fuel for regeneration of the particulate filter to the exhaust system upstream of the S trap device or into the cylinder is provided. An amount of the additional fuel supplied by the first fuel supplying means is controlled to make the S trap device not release SOx. A second fuel supplying means is provided in the exhaust system between the NOx storage/reduction catalyst device and the particulate filter to make up for a deficiency of the additional fuel supplied by the first fuel supplying means in the regeneration treatment of the particulate filter.

Abstract: An internal combustion engine wherein an SOx trap catalyst (12), an NOx storage catalyst (14), and a fuel addition valve (15) are arranged in an engine exhaust passage. When making the air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas flowing into the NOx storage catalyst (14) the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio or rich so as to make the NOx storage catalyst (14) release NOx, additional fuel is supplied into the combustion chamber (2) and fuel is added from the fuel addition valve (15). At this time, the amount of additional fuel to the combustion chamber (2) is controlled so that the air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas exhausted from the combustion chamber (2) becomes the smallest in the range where the SOx trap catalyst (12) does not release SOx.

Abstract: In an internal combustion engine, an NOx selective reducing catalyst is arranged inside an engine exhaust passage, an oxidation catalyst is arranged upstream of the NOx selective reducing catalyst, and an NOx adsorption catalyst is arranged upstream of the oxidation catalyst. The NOx adsorption catalyst has a property of releasing NOx when the temperature rises and a property of trapping the SOx contained in the exhaust gas. The inflow of SOx into the oxidation catalyst is suppressed by the NOx adsorption catalyst to prevent the NO released from the NOx adsorption catalyst being oxidized to NO2 at the oxidation catalyst from being obstructed by SOx.

Abstract: In an internal combustion engine, a metal or a metal compound (10) capable of capturing a sulfur component contained in an exhaust gas is provided in a flow path of the exhaust gas. When the amount of the sulfur content captured by the metal or the metal compound (10) is increased as the lapse of time, a physical property of the metal or the metal compound (10) which varies with increase in the amount of the captured sulfur component is measured. Based on the measurement value, the sulfur component in the gas can be detected.

Abstract: In an internal combustion engine, an NOx selective reduction catalyst (14) is arranged in an engine exhaust passage, and an NOx storage catalyst (12) is arranged in the engine exhaust passage upstream of the NOx selective reduction catalyst (14). When the amount of NOx stored in the NOx storage catalyst (12) exceeds a predetermined allowable value, the NOx storage catalyst (12) is raised in temperature to make the NOx storage catalyst (12) release the NOx. The amount of urea feed is decreased by exactly the amount of reduction of the calculated stored NOx amount with respect to the amount of urea feed determined from the engine operating state, and the amount of urea feed is increased by exactly the amount of reduction of the calculated released NOx amount with respect to the amount of urea feed determined from the engine operating state.

Abstract: An internal combustion engine wherein an NOx storing catalyst is arranged in an engine exhaust passage and an NOx selective reducing catalyst is arranged downstream of the NOx storing catalyst. Just before the air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas flowing into the NOx storing catalyst is temporarily switched from lean to rich to release NOx from the NOx storing catalyst, an amount of NOx necessary for removing ammonia adsorbed on the NOx selective reducing catalyst is fed to the NOx selective reducing catalyst under a lean air-fuel ratio.

Abstract: In an internal combustion engine, an SOx sensor (16) having a sensor part (53, 60) trapping the SOx contained in the exhaust gas and able to detect the amount of SOx trapped at the sensor part (53, 60) from a change of property of the sensor part (53, 60) is arranged in the engine exhaust passage upstream of the NOx storing catalyst (14). When estimating the amount of SOx stored in the NOx storing catalyst (14) from the amount of SOx trapped at the sensor part (53, 60), deviation of the estimated value of the amount of stored SOx arising due to the difference between the SOx trapping rate of the sensor part (53, 60) and the SOx trapping rate of the NOx storing catalyst (14) is corrected.

Abstract: A sight-line end estimation device includes a sight-line direction detection portion that detects a sight-line direction of a driver of a vehicle, a target object detection portion that detects the positions of target objects existing around the vehicle, a relative position acquisition portion that acquires relative positional information between the driver and the target object detection portion, and a sight-line end estimation portion that estimates the driver's sight-line end by detecting a target object whose position detected by the target object detection portion lies substantially in the driver's sight-line direction detected by the sight-line direction detection portion, factoring in the relative positional information acquired by the relative position acquisition portion.

Abstract: An SOx trap catalyst able to trap SOx contained in the exhaust gas is arranged in an engine exhaust passage upstream of an NOx storing catalyst in an internal combustion engine. When the SOx trap rate of the SOx trap catalyst falls, fuel is added in the exhaust gas flowing into the SOx trap catalyst to form in the SOx trap catalyst a region in which an air-fuel ratio becomes locally rich. SOx released from the SOx trap catalyst in this region can be trapped in the SOx trap catalyst at the downstream side once again without flowing out from the downstream end of the SOx trap catalyst.

Abstract: An SOX trap catalyst (11) in which at least one of an alkali metal and alkali earth metal is carried diffused is arranged in an exhaust passage of an internal combustion engine. By holding the temperature of the SOX trap catalyst (11) during engine operation at the temperature where a nitrate of the at least one of the alkali metal and alkali earth metal becomes the melted state, a nitrate movement and coagulation action where the nitrate in the SOX trap catalyst (11) moves to and coagulates at the surface of the SOX trap catalyst (11) is promoted. Due to this nitrate movement and coagulation action, SOX is removed while restoring the SOX trap rate.

Abstract: A metal compound (50) able to trap a sulfur component in exhaust gas is arranged in a flow path of the exhaust gas, a property of the metal compound (50) changing along with an increase of the amount of sulfur component trapped at the metal compound (50) is measured, and the cumulative value of the amount of SOX actually contained in the exhaust gas is calculated from the measured property. On the other hand, the assumed cumulative value of the amount of SOx, assumed to be contained in the exhaust gas when assuming that fuel or oil of a sulfur concentration assumed in advance is used, is calculated. It is judged if fuel or oil with a high sulfur concentration is being used from the actual cumulative value of the amount of SOX and the assumed cumulative value of the amount of SOx.

Abstract: Engine air-fuel ratio controlling means is provided to control an exhaust air-fuel ratio that is the ratio between the air contained in the exhaust gas discharged from the engine and the fuel element contained in the same exhaust gas and acting as a reducing agent at a NOx catalyst by controlling the air-fuel ratio of the gas combusted in the engine. Fuel adding means is provided upstream of the NOx catalyst in an exhaust passage to add fuel into the exhaust gas. During the SOx poisoning recovery control, when developing a state enabling SOx reduction reactions, the exhaust gas air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas discharged from the engine and the amount of fuel added from the fuel adding means are controlled to minimize the sum of the amount of fuel injected in the engine and the amount of fuel added from the fuel adding means.